Appeal rejected for man who abducted, killed 10-year-old KCK girl

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A man whose abduction of a 10-year-old Kansas girl sparked a massive manhunt before she was found dead in Missouri has lost his appeal of his conviction and death sentence.

The Kansas City Star reports that the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday rejected the claims of 44-year-old Keith Nelson that his attorney had provided ineffective assistance. Nelson snatched Pamela Butler in 1999 as she was roller-skating near her Kansas City, Kansas, home.

A witness to the abduction got Nelson's license plate, but he managed to get away. Pamela's strangled body was found later in a wooded area in Grain Valley, Missouri.

Among the issues the appeal raised was his attorneys' advise that he plead guilty. The court denied the appeal on each count.